


Determination: The Will and the Way

by Moia_Starchild



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alien Invasion, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, M/M, Modern Girl in Thedas, Other, World Orphans, protective character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-06-16 13:20:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15437919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moia_Starchild/pseuds/Moia_Starchild
Summary: Polaris, yes her parents were strange, manages to escape the death and destruction of Earth along with two small children. Saved by the Inquisitor and her band of daring misfits, Polaris must now find a way to survive Thedas. With nothing but determination and the will to succeed, she must now try and make this a world that the twins she saved can safely grow up in. The question is, how will she survive the death of all she has ever known only to face the death of another world that she comes to love?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A variation of this has been floating around in my head for a while. Hopefully it translates to the written word as well as it does in my imagination. Enjoy.

It was the dead of night. I wasn’t quite sure what time it was, only that the moon was high in the sky over the near primeval forest I was currently fleeing through. I could hear panicked and pain filled screams rending the air far behind me, spurring me to readjust the heavy burden on my back and push myself harder than I ever had running with the cross country team in high school. I was determined to escape, determined to survive.

15 Hours Before

I wish I could start my story by saying that my day was just a normal day. That everything was as it should be. However, this was not the case. While it was true that it started out like any other; waking up to the alarm clock, getting dressed, going downstairs to share coffee with my roommates; it quickly became something out of a science fiction horror movie.

I had just stepped into the kitchen, still rubbing sleep from my eyes and mentally preparing for my day at work when I heard a strangled scream from the living room. Finding myself rather suddenly wide awake, I rushed into the room to find Kasey, the owner of the home we all shared passing out on the floor. The scene on the news broadcast explaining everything.

Anna Gully, the local breaking news anchor was reminding people to stay calm and indoors. Do not do anything rash. Avoid highways and interstates and please, don’t panic. The video footage was of what appeared to be a giant metal mountain floating over what looked like Chicago. Video footage flashed and showed similar crafts above San Francisco, Dallas, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Moscow and several others. She was suddenly reminded of the news scenes from the movie, Independence Day.

We spent the day huddled together on the couch, staring in rapt attention at the television. All of us had long since figured that work would just have to do without us today. It seemed most of the world felt the same. Everyone was hiding in their homes, waiting for the all clear or for the terrifying structures to leave. Governments of the world had attempted communication, but so far all attempts had appeared to be ignored.

The repetitive chain of information was interrupted by the panicked voice of Ms. Gully announcing that reports were coming in from overseas that smaller vessels were leaving the larger structures and were seemingly kidnapping or killing every human in sight. Reports said they were struck by a blue light and they were gone. No ashes, not blood, just gone.

The four roommates looked to each other and as one jumped off the couch to grab their ready bags. While they had originally been prepared on the chance that Russia or North Korea attacked, they would service just as well now. We were ready to go in under ten minutes and out the door in just twelve. We each had our plans for this instance and immediately split off from each other with teary farewell hugs and best wishes. They had family to see to. I had just myself and immediately took off for wild parts unknown.

I had found a series of caves on one of my marathon conditioning runs. I had spent weeks cleaning it out and making it habitable. It was where I was headed now. It was about ten miles away and I had no idea how much time I had before those alien vessels made it to our corner of the world. I began the steady ground eating stride that I used when running my marathons. It would get me there quickly but still leave me with the energy to sprint should something happen.

I had run about five miles passed families, crying children and speeding cars all trying to escape the moderate city we lived in. While it was by no means a large town, there was one of the alien structures an hour away and all anyone knew was that the small ships moved FAST!

A low humming sound came from behind me, causing the very air to vibrate and all of the hair on my body to stand on end. Glancing behind myself I almost screamed and fainted. On the horizon, ever growing black dots appeared. As they grew closer, flashes of blue light could be seen. I swallowed my terror and turned to begin sprinting.

Two small children, seemingly twins were clutching each other tight in the middle of the street. They were crying and screaming at the terrifying sight of the ships quickly approaching. Without taking time to consider the possible problems of what I was about to do, I snatched both children up, one in each arm and sprinted for the tree cover behind the houses on the street I was running through.

They clung me to hard and fast. Terrified and still crying. I pushed myself as hard as I could to reach the cover of the forest, trying to escape the small trees of the entrance to the wooded area. When I finally broke into the deeper forest I took a moment to stop and examine the children.

A little boy and little girl stared at me in fright. Tears streaked though dirt on their tiny red faces. They couldn’t have been more than three or four. Thinking quickly I emptied my non essentials from my large hiking backpack. Most of what I need was at the cave. The backpack was in case I was caught in a situation where I couldn’t make it to my hideaway. 

After emptying the bag and looked at the two children. They should be able to fit side by side. It would free my arms up and hopefully help me save some of my stamina. They were too shocked and scared to argue with me, and so climbed into the backpack without much fuss. They were able to peak out of the top and look around. While it was by no means the most comfortable way to be carried, it would only be for a short while and they should be fine.

I picked up running again after drinking from my hip canteen. I figured that the children would be fine until we reached the cave and they could sit down and calm some of the terror in their hearts. My speed was not what it would have been if I did not have the children on my back, but I couldn’t bring myself to abandon them after having rather impulsively saved their lives.

Dark came quickly to the deep forest. I could still hear the screams of my neighbors behind me, though that could have been my imagination. I’m not sure that I would ever be able to escape those sounds in my dreams again. It pushed me harder and harder to get away. It wasn’t just me anymore. Failure meant the possible death of two small innocents on my back. 

I recognized the landscape we were entering. We were close to the cave. It wasn’t much further and we could all rest and hopefully spend a safe night in hiding. I pushed myself to sprint the last five hundred meters or so and slowed to a walk about sixty feet from the cave. I listened closely for the sounds of the small vessels and heard nothing.

I did my best to hide the evidence of my passing to the cave and ducked inside. Safety, haven, home for now. It was all we had, but it would have to be enough. I traveled deeper into the cave system where I had found a gallery deep underground. It was far enough away from the entrance that no light escaped to give away my location, and large enough to prevent me from going stir crazy.

I took the back pack off and helped the children crawl out. The poor things looked exhausted. I showed them to a nest of sleeping bags and cushions on the ground in one of the back corners of the room. It didn’t take long before they were both sound asleep, the little boy sucking his thumb, both of them clutching each other like a lifeline. I settled into a camping chair and covered up with a spare blanket. It was going to be a long night.

 

Throughout the night I awoke to sounds of ships flying over the forest outside of the cave. It sounded like they were just flying over on their way to another city, but it kept me on edge for a long time after the sound faded each time. Thankfully, the kids did not wake up. 

It was almost four in the morning and it had been over three hours since I had heard the last squad of ships fly overhead. I felt it was safe to try the radio I had brought down here a few months ago. It had taken time to find one that would work in the caves, so it was one of my newest additions to the living space.

After several tense moments scanning through static I finally heard a voice coming through with a small amount of static forcing me to listen carefully to make out what they were saying.

“…haven’t heard anything out of D.C. in hours. The small vessels retreated back to their mother ships and they have stood silent in their positions since. It has been hours since I have seen or heard another person. I hope whoever is left out there, whoever might be hearing this that you stay safe. Stay out of sight. Whatever you forgot isn’t worth going back for. They will find you. Just like they found my family.

“I can see one of the mother ships from my location and it looks like an ominous, impossibly floating mountain. It is hovering about a thousand feet above the highest building I can see. It is blocking out the rising sun and its shadow falls over the city, shrouding it in terrifying gloom. I-

“Hold on, it is doing something. It looks like it is falling over! It is turning upside down. It looks to be spinning now, speeding up slowly. Oh my God! It is becoming a monstrous drill! It’s headed for the surface! It-“

A loud crashing rumble sounded from the radio and then nothing but static. I became aware of what felt like vibrations in the ground. They slowly became stronger and more noticeable. It was like an earthquake. I jumped up and grabbed my secondary go bag and snatched up the children, sleeping bag and all. We had to get out of the cave. There was no telling what was fixing to happen and the whole ceiling could come down on us if this got much worse.

I made to escape the cave and leapt out of the entrance just as it began to collapse. The ground was shaking madly now, the sky above had begun to roil with dark, angry clouds that resembled the smoke clouds caused by the dry seasons fires she had seen sweep the west all her life. The air felt charged with electricity, it tasted sharp and metallic. 

Just as the earthquake reached its crescendo, a flash of green light pulsed around us and I ducked, terrified before I remembered that the aliens used a blue light of some sort. This was something different. 

I watched in awe as what appeared to be a rift from the Dragon Age game I used to play opened up in front of me. It looked like the game except it wasn’t fully open, almost like the one in the Fallow Mire. Electricity sparked in the air, causing my hair to stand on end and the children to begin panicking in my arms. The rift suddenly sprang open and an arm reached out.

“Hurry. Grab my hand,” a distorted voice from within shouted. Without giving myself time to think, I readjusted the children and grabbed the hand. A sharp tug pulled me into the rift, and darkness swallowed me up.


	2. World-Walker

I came awake as suddenly as I had apparently fainted. Unfamiliar sounds and smells assaulted me almost immediately. When I opened my eyes, the unfamiliar site of what appeared to be the thatch ceiling of a stone hut giving me shelter. I wasn’t sure what had happened, but I had a feeling that I was no longer on Earth. Everything was different. The very air itself felt strange to me. There was almost a heaviness to it that I couldn’t explain. It wasn’t physical. I could feel it pressing and weighing on what I could only describe as the essence of me.

The door opened gently and I sat up as quickly as I could, watching warily for whoever had saved me. To my immense surprise, a female Avvar entered the hut. She met my eyes and nodded in what almost seemed like approval.

“Good. You have awakened,” the woman said, very abrupt and succinct. “Your young ones miss you.” 

“Oh, they aren’t my children. I just rescued them. But I think I have maybe someone else to thank for rescuing us?” I made the last a question. I had to figure out what was going on. Where was I location wise as well as in the timeline of Thedas.

“You found them important enough to bring with you through the gateway, then they are yours.” The woman said, fairly dismissively, as if this was a nonissue. “My name is Hareda Bear-Dance. I am the Augur for the Dancingmountain Clan. You are in our Hold. The gods saw fit to rescue you from your world as it was destroyed and brought you to us.”  
“Oh,” I rather lamely sighed. I had hoped that while I and the children had escaped what would have been certain death, that it was localized. That the world went on. It struck me then, the finality of the situation. Earth was gone. Everything I had ever known was gone. Sure, Thedas had humans, but Earthlings were an endangered species. There were only three left. We would be extinct soon enough, no one to remember our history, our contribution to the Universe, just me and two young toddlers. Of all the people who could have been spared and carried on, I was chosen. A translator for my local Health Department.

The tears surprised me when they came. I didn’t even realize I was crying until I felt my tears splash on my collarbone. My whole world was gone, everything. I felt sick down in my very soul. The screams of my people echoed in my head. I was alone. 

Something like sympathy flashed through Hareda’s eyes. “I can not begin to imagine what it would feel like to lose my Clan, my Hold, my very world like that. On behalf of the gods of our Hold, I welcome you to make this world your home. We will help in whatever manner we can. The gods tasks us with your care, we will respect their wishes and care for you as you need. Our chief, Movran the Under has sworn that our clan shall assist you in whatever way you need.”

“Did you say Chief Movran the Under?” I asked excitedly. It wasn’t ancient Thedas. It was a timeline I was familiar with.

“Yes. We have recently been sent into exile by the Inquisitor to Tevinter. The Clan is exited. There is nothing our young men enjoy more than killing the Tevinter and freeing their slaves. Sometimes they manage to steal themselves a bride from the slavers,” she affirmed. I grew exited. “How do you know our chieftain, Otherworlder?”

I had to think about this for a second. I couldn’t tell them the complete truth. There was far too much at stake. I had to be careful how much I gave away. “Even my people have heard of the Breach in the Heavens. The actions of Hand of Korth and the customary spilling of goats blood on the walls of Skyhold are well known on my world. Your gods must have conversed with our gods. They must have told us in our dreams. It is not thought to be real on my world. Just a teaching story of sorts.”

The augur nodded. “There is much to learn from this tale indeed. Your people are wise to listen to your gods in such a manner. In this world, not many listen to the gods. Not many are able to listen. If your entire people listened so well, it is truly a tragedy that they are gone. You are the only one left with the stories of your gods and your people. We will help you carry this burden as best we are able. The gods welcomed you. They will welcome your stories and your dreams as well.”

The tears that I had thought I was done crying began falling again. This kind if gruff woman was offering to share her world with me, to share her gods with me. She knew nothing about me or my own world, but that I was one of the last and she cared. I could tell. It comforted me and destroyed me all at the same time. 

Again, she nodded sagely. “It is right to mourn your peoples passing. They deserve it as much as you do. I will assist you in laying out sacrifices for your lost. I will have to consult the gods to determine what would be an appropriate sacrifice to appease and entire people though. Your people will be mourned, and celebrated and they shall be kept with our hollowed dead in spirit if not in form.”

“Thank you, Hareda. This means everything to me. Would it be possible to see the children I came here with and maybe take a look around the Hold?” I was hoping she said yes. At the very least I wanted to see to the children. I didn’t bring them all this way just to abandon them now. I had impulsively taken up the responsibility of them when I rescued them from the death of our world. But impulse or not, I took my responsibilities seriously, and these children were now mine. I might as well get used to it.  
“Of course my dear. Though, I must know. What shall we call you Otherworlder? We know that the children are named Rowan and Willow.”

I blushed. My mother would have been ashamed of me. “I am so sorry. My name is Polaris Jacobs. It really is a pleasure to meet you Hareda Bear-Dance.”

“Your name is unfamiliar to me, though I suppose that makes sense,” she smile ruefully. “What did your mother name you after?”

“I was named after the North Star. It is the star that my people used for navigation. You were never lost if you could find the North Star,” I trailed off sadly, thinking of my mother. She used to tell me that as long as she had me, she would never be lost. Now, I was the one who was lost.

“An auspicious name. You truly have become a guide to the last of your people. I welcome you to Dancing Mountain Hold with the receiving of your legend-mark, Polaris World-Walker. May all hear your name and sing of your glory,” she intoned. I felt a strange tingling on my wrist and when I looked, it was the shape of an intricate gate that was on fire. It must be representative of being pulled through a rift and passing into another world. When I had read about Avvar legend marks, I assumed it was just a name. I thought it might have a tattoo associated with it. I didn’t realize that it was a magical thing. I didn’t know how I knew, but somehow I was aware that one of the sprits that were hovering around us now were responsible for the mark. It was not just a simple tattoo. It was a direct representation of who I was. It was blue and green, not the unnatural colors of the alien lights or of the rifts, but the many shades of blue and green that colored the Earth in all of the pictures I had ever seen of my world. It was beautiful and I couldn’t stop staring at it. “Come, Rowan and Willow have been eagerly awaiting you. They miss you I think, though they are young and have not spoken much beyond what one would expect of children their age. The gods tell me that they are hiding from us though. Maybe you can get more out of them.”

I nodded and climbed out of the bed. I was relieved to see that I was still wearing the scrubs I came here in. I had, after all, been dressed for work when the world had ended. It bode well for my bag and the items in it. Some of them would probably be useless here, but there was plenty that would not be. My running shoes were next to the cot I was sleeping on and I quickly put them on and stood, happy that nothing hurt like I had been severely injured.

Hareda gestured to the hut door and nodded reassuringly at what must have been an apprehensive look on my face. “Do not be afraid. The Clan has welcomed you. If you find no other home in our world, you will always be welcomed among my people. Let us go and meet your new world, shall we?” I nodded and stepped out the open door. My new life was beginning and I would start it with my shoulders straight and my head held high. I was Polaris Jacobs of Earth, and I would carry the legacy of my people all of my days with love and pride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be from the point of view of Rowan and Willow. Feel free to leave any constructive criticism, I would be happy to take it into consideration while continuing the story.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The children are introduced and get to know the Avvar people who have taken them in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a couple of days longer to post this than I originally intended. Real life tends to get in the way of artistic pursuits when bills need paying.

Two tiny, hazel-eyed, brunette children huddled close together outside of the stone hut where the sleeping otherworlder was recovering from the journey through the realm of the gods. Hannigar noticed that they appeared to be whispering to each other in a strange language he did not understand. He knew that he was not the smartest warrior in Dancingmountain Clan, but he was familiar with twins. His mother had given birth to twin girls by her third husband. His sisters spoke in their own secret language too. The little girl stood up suddenly and walked up to him slowly.

 

“That painted man is watching us,” Rowan pointed out to his sister. She nodded.

“He’s gotta be the babysitter,” Willow giggled, finding it funny that such a large man got stuck watching them. Her old babysitter was one of the older foster girls in the house they were living in. 

“It’s nice here,”Rowan said suddenly, using a stick to churn up dirt in front of him. “Nobody has yelled at us since She saved us.” He looked like he might start crying. “You don’t think She is going to die too do you?”

“No. That lady Hareda said she was going to be okay. She said She was tired and needed to sleep for a while,” Willow said as firmly as her almost five year old self could. “We just gotta wait until she wakes up.”

“I’m bored,” Rowan slightly whined. Willow grunted in agreement. “I wanna paint myself like these big people here. Maybe it will help me grow big like them,” he added, exited at the idea of being big and tall.

“I ‘spose we can,” Willow said, thinking about it a little. “It looks like mud. We just gotta make mud and then I will draw on you and you can draw on me.”

“Awesome!” Rowan squealed. “I dug the dirt up. We just need water now.”

“I’ll ask the babysitter,” Willow nodded and stood up, quickly approaching the man who was watching them closely.

“’Scuse me, mister babysitter,” she started shyly. “Can we have some water?”

“My name is Hannigar Haredasson, not Mister Babysitter. Are you thirsty girl?” he asked her. She was confused by what he said. Of course his name wasn’t Mister Babysitter. She shrugged and forgot about it. He was just being silly she decided.

“No. We wanna make mud so we can paint our skin too. We like it. Maybe it will help us grow big too. Mrs. Dillon said it was because we were malnorest,” she mispronounced. “It means we didn’t eat enough when we were babies.”

Hannigar’s confused expression cleared up with her explanation and then became angry. How could someone not feed their children? He found himself incredibly incensed. He hoped the otherworlder was not responsible for this wrongdoing. He would think about that later. He focused on her request.

“We do not use mud little one. It is a special paint that we make out of secret, magic ingredients. I will paint you if you tell me the story of how you got here,” he offered, he might not be smart, but he did know how to talk to children. He had three of his own after all.

“Sure. Let me get my brother,” she said excitedly and ran back to her twin to grab him and drag him back. She had apparently explained to him what the deal was, because he approached grinning broadly.

Hannigar led them to his hut where he went in to collect his body paint and brushes. He figured the lighting was better to do this outside, and the children needed all the sunlight and fresh air their tiny, pale bodies needed.

“How many years have you seen?” He asked the children when he returned. They looked confused for a moment by his question and he clarified. “How many years ago were you born?”

“Oh! We will be five on our birthday in tree months,” Willow held up three fingers nodding happily. He was surprised by the answer, but he shrugged and nodded. 

“Well, have a seat. Tell me your story and I will paint it on your skin. That way everybody will know what happened and you will only have to tell it once to everybody,” Hannigar pointed to the two tree stumps he pulled up the outside firepit. The jumped on them eagerly and began weave their tale.

He listed as they described waking up in what he thought sounding like a Lowlander orphanage. They had been taken away from their parents because they were not good parents, and he could definitely see that himself. As the story unfolded, members of the clan began to drift closer to the fire, listening intently to the children’s story. 

They learned the children were named Rowan and Willow, like the trees and Hannigar figured they must be trees from their world. He had never heard of such things here. They told of how great flying ships had brought something called Aliens to their world and they were attacked. How people were running scared unable to defend themselves against what was obviously a superior foe.

By the time the children began telling of how they met the World-Walker, most of the Hold had gathered round and they were being painted on by multiple warriors, all eager to hear the tale. They had been saved by her, she had grabbed them up and ran with them. She had put them in her backpack and ran for what sounded like all day. The Hold had no way of knowing that the children were exaggerating or just poor at telling time. They believed every word coming out of the tiny twins mouths. 

They had hid in a cave, miles underground until it started shaking, and they were again carried out by the sleeping woman before being rescued by the gods and brought here for safe keeping. Hannigar had already heard from his mother that their world was destroyed. These Aliens the children spoke of had turned it into molten ash and rocks. Hareda had seen it when the gods used her to pull the three through the worlds.

When the story was over the Clan applauded the children and took turns admiring their painted skin. Young women began to bring over food and drink, intending on feeding the children up, they obviously needed it, and it became a true party. 

The fire was built up from a small cooking fire to a great bonfire and dances were done to Rilla of the fire and the people celebrated the heroics of the sleeping woman, who unbeknownst to her had become Legend-Marked by this small tribe of people.

Benna, the Holdbeast, wandered into the circle and began sniffing at the children curiously. Both began to giggle at the attention the large sow was giving them and she grunted approvingly before laying down in front of them and allowing them to climb all over her like the piglets they looked like to her eight hundred pound body. The Avvar children she was around all the time were only this small when they were babies. She was obviously curious about the tiny things but liked them all the same.

The children eventually fell asleep cuddled into Benna, and Hannigar decided to leave them where they lay. It was warm this far north, and it would be a pleasant night to sleep under the stars. He laid out a bedroll and joined them on the ground.

 

The next two days, if one wanted to find the children all they had to do was look for the large sow that followed them everywhere. But the children followed Hannigar around everywhere. He found he didn’t mind at all. They listened well and were eager to learn and to help out around the Hold. So he put them to work. 

They fetched wood and fed the cooking fire, learning how to just keep it always burning without going through too much wood. They watched as Hannigar helped prepare the fruits of the hunt, getting over their squeamishness at all of the blood and parts they saw. They helped Hannigar wash their clothes and learned how to beat the furs clean as they couldn’t be washed in the river.

They never stopped watching the hut though. Throughout all of it, they tried to never wander far from the sleeping woman and they peeked in on her multiple times a day. They asked when She would wake up whenever they saw Hareda. It was finally, on the third day, when they were taking a break to eat lunch that they saw Hareda hurry into the tent. Watching closely, while they ate, they waited impatiently for news.

The hut door opened suddenly and the children were excited to see Her walk out with Hareda. They ran to her quickly and each clung to a separate leg. 

“I told Rowan you wouldn’t die like everybody else. I knew you would wake up,” Willow said excitedly. 

“I made you a bracelet,” Rowan said, holding up his creation. “Willow said you would like it.”

“Oh!” She exclaimed, automatically putting her hands on their shoulders.

“What’s your name?” Rowan asked quite suddenly.

“Polaris,” she replied, still seemingly shell-shocked. “You painted your skin?” The twins smiled and nodded excitedly. They dragged her over to the cooking fire and began to regale her with the story of what happened while she slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It will be back to Polaris next time. I will periodically take a dip into the story of the children, but it will only be every few chapters or so, as their story will more or less mirror the main story as well. Let me know what you think so far.


	4. Finding a place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Polaris and the twins acclimate to life in Thedas, and a decision for their future safety is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has been so long since an update. Life got away with my time and my little man's birthday took precedence. I hope this makes up for that. Enjoy.

After actually meeting the children, the rest of my day was filled with being led around with one on each arm showing me everything they had found interesting in the hold. I learned that the clan was getting ready to begin their exile into Tevinter. This was their original hold. I had often wondered where they had come from originally and I suppose my question was now answered.

We were located a few days ride north of the Fallow Mire, thankfully far enough away that the weather was nowhere near as horrendous as the game had implied that the Mire was. Though, I would later learn that when the wind blew just right from the south, the unmistakable smell of mildew and rot would waft through the air. I was surprised that it wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be, before I remembered that we were in the southern hemisphere of Thedas, so the farther north one travelled, the warmer it became as the equator of Thedas got closer.

The clan was welcoming. Apparently being found worthy of being pulled between worlds by their gods was enough in their eyes to make us worthy of being adopted into the clan. I was introduced to Hannigar, though the twins refused to call him such. They insisted on calling him babysitter. At first he seemed like he hated the name, though it must have grown on him as he stopped correcting them after the first dozen times or so they yelled for Babysitter.

Hannigar informed me that he had been given the task of helping us settle in and find our place within the clan. While I was worried about what this would mean, I was hoping it had nothing to do with marriage, he settled my anxiety quickly by telling me that it was his responsibility to teach us the workings of the hold and anything else that we might need to know to survive as a member of the clan. This included starting the cooking fire if and when it burned out, hunting if I was so inclined, preparing the hunt for meals, preparing meals and so on. My days quickly became filled with helping other members of the clan feed those who were responsible for hunting and the like. I hated it. I could barely cook ramen for myself. As a single woman with a decently paying job, it was cheaper and quicker for me to eat out most of the time back on Earth. The only foods I kept on hand at home had been protein shakes and bars that I ate when I trained for my marathons.

The twins were made sure I was always in their sights, I noticed this almost immediately, though they were not near as clingy as they had been the first few days after I woke up. They mostly played with the other children of the clan and did their best to stay out from under the feet of the adults hurrying to and fro while they packed their lives up and prepared to make the long journey to Tevinter. The days were long and filled with hard work, and I had no trouble falling asleep in the evening. That being said, my sleep was far from peaceful. The panicked screams of my neighbors, and the shaking of the ground as it collapsed around me, haunted my dreams. I hated the Fade. Everything felt more real in my dreams than they ever had before, and since I had never managed to learn how to lucid dream on Earth, I was powerless to change the direction of my nightmares in this magical dreaming. 

The large sow that was the Benna, the Holdbeast, apparently loved me as much as she did the children. Hannigar informed me that Hareda had told him that the god that resided in Benna was the same god who had helped Hareda pull us through the realms. When she wasn’t following the children closely like an overprotective mother, she was following me with the same focused intent. It was disconcerting to turn around at random points in the day to find an eight hundred pound pig right behind me, but if I thought that was rough, it was nothing to waking up with her snuffling around me at night as she made herself room on the pile of furs we all slept on. Her attention bordered on obsessive.

It was only a few days before the clan was planning to move out when Hannigar asked me if I would like to join him in the hunt for the day. I was so tired of cooking and feeding the fires that I jumped at the opportunity to explore a little more of the area before we were planning to head out permanently to one of the most unsettling and dangerous areas of the world just then. I told the twins to stay near Benna and Hareda and to please, don’t go exploring on your own. The happily agreed, as they had long since made friends with the other children and they had no interest in going out into the woods with the bugs and the scary animals. I learned quickly that there was an alternate motive for the invite.

“Hareda does not think that you and the twins should follow us to Tevinter, World-Walker. She feels that you would not be safe if they should find out how you came to this world. The entire cursed country is full of Tevinter mages who would love to study you. The gods agree with her,” he said rather suddenly in his abrupt way. “She has asked me to accompany you as far as the Inquisitions hold to ensure that you arrive safely. A few other hunters will come with us to help protect the children. But we are to leave you there and return to clan, meeting up with them, hopefully before they get to Tevinter and kill all the slavers before we can get our share in.”

I found myself incredibly grateful and relieved. I had been worrying about the exact same thing for days now; since Hareda told me where they were headed to be more accurate. It had added another flavor of terror and uncertainty to already torturous dreams and my attitude and health would not be able to handle it much longer. I nodded in agreement. He seemed relieved at my lack of an argument. He must have been worried that my pride would be offended.

“Rowan and Willow don’t need to be anywhere near Tevinter,” I said at last. “We are far too different than the people of this world. It would be noticed immediately. The children deserve a safe a place as I can find for them, and being that close to some of the largest slaver markets in this world is just not one of them.”

Hannigar nodded, clearly pleased that I was being so reasonable. Avvar woman took extreme exception to anyone thinking they needed defending unless they were far along in pregnancy. A few days before I had seen one stab her husband in the arm for trying to take her place on the hunt because she had caught a boars tusk in her leg. Hareda had healed it quickly and the younger woman refused to be coddled any further than a small dose of what must have been a pain reliever before she had been healed by Hareda and the spirits that were always hovering just out of sight of the mundane. While I had been impressed, I knew that the twins had not been raised Avvar and it was my responsibility to keep them safe until they were old enough to defend themselves.

“It’s a good idea,” I replied easily and smiled reassuringly at him. “I am unable to fight with any weapon to defend myself, let along two small children.” He nodded and stopped walking, suddenly alert. 

“There is game nearby.” He told her., unhooking his axe and looked back to her. Go, this game is of the human variety. I froze and stained my eyes, attempting to see what it was the Hannigar was talking about. “Now!” he snapped, I hopped to somewhat startled and took off running back down the hold. I ran through the gates and started yelling that Hannigar was under attack. I sure hoped he wasn’t; that it was him over-reacting to something. But if I had learned nothing else about these proud people over the last few days, it was that they were rarely inclined to exaggerate and they never worried the clan over silly things they could handle themselves. Several warriors and hunters immediately took off in the direction I had come from. 

I returned to the cooking fire with much less distaste than I had before. People I had befriended over the last couple of weeks were possibly in a fight for the lives and safety of the clan. Some might not return, but those that did would be hungry. If they were going to keep me safe and defended I was certainly not going to complain about having to feed them when they came back.

It was several hours later that a successful group returned to the hold. True to my prediction they were starving, however I was happy to see that there were not many injuries and no deaths. Everyone had left in one piece and returned in the same way, albeit somewhat bruised and battered. It had been a stray group of slavers that had thought they would be able to steal a few of the Avvar women to sell when they returned to their homes and their auction blocks. They obviously did not know the Avvar or they would have stayed far away. As it was, they had made a mistake of pride in thinking that they would be able to overcome a village full of mere women. There was nothing mere about the Avvar women. They could defend themselves just as well as the men, even the young woman who had not yet reached their sexual maturity were quite capable with their weapons of choice.

It was decided over the evening meal who all would escort us to Skyhold. Quite contrary to what I was used to , there were so many volunteers to escort the World-Walker and her charges that they had ended up contesting and challenging each other for the ‘privilege.’ I would have gone to bed long before then if I hadn’t been informed that since the contests were held due to me, it would be my decision on who won and would escort us to safety. Everyone wanted a chance to be helpful to the World-Walker and I was kept up late into morning choosing my escorts. By the time I had finally made my way to my bed the sky was beginning to lighten and the stars were no longer visible. Though, for the first time since I had come to Thedas, my sleep was nightmare free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? Let me know. If there is something you want to see, leave it in the comments. I will consider all requests, though it might be done in a way that you aren't expecting if it ends up in the story. See you in a few days everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> So what do you think? Sound like something I should continue? Leave me a comment or a kudos. They are like hugs and kisses, or cake and ice cream. Gotta have 'em.


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